Michael Maltese
]] Michael R. "Mike" Maltese (6 February 1908 - 22 February 1981) was a long-time storyboard artist and screenwriter for classic animated cartoon shorts. In 1941, Maltese was hired by Leon Schlesinger Productions, which three years later became Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. (Maltese had actually appeared on camera in a 1940 Porky Pig cartoon as a live-action guard at the Warner Brothers entrance gate, who winds up chasing the animated Porky around the Warners lot; the short is entitled "You Ought to Be in Pictures" and was directed by Friz Freleng). He and Chuck Jones collaborated on classic cartoons like the Academy Award-winning "For Scent-imental Reasons" and the animated public health documentary, "So Much For So Little" which won that same year for "Best Documentary Short Subject." Maltese was also the voice of the Lou Costello-esque character in "Wackiki Wabbit". Some of his best known cartoons are "Feed the Kitty", "Beep, Beep", "Rabbit Seasoning", "Don't Give Up the Sheep", "Duck Amuck", "Bully for Bugs", "Bewitched Bunny", "From A to Z-Z-Z", and "Beanstalk Bunny". These were all directed by Jones. Maltese also collaborated with Jones on Tom and Jerry. From 1958 until 1970, he worked at Hanna-Barbera Productions on television cartoons such as Quick Draw McGraw, The Flintstones, and The Jetsons. His off-the-wall humor inspired some of the sharpest wit in the Warner Brothers canon. Only Maltese would imagine he could "improve" Richard Wagner by the addition of deliberately insipid lyrics, such as he created for the schmaltzy "Return My Love" sung by Bugs and Elmer in "What's Opera, Doc?" (Tongue in cheek he even took a screen credit for his lyrics). Maltese also did scripts for comic books published by Western Publishing, including for many of the same Warner Brothers and Hanna-Barbera characters whose animated exploits he scripted. Characters Created I.Q.Hi.jpg|Dr. I.Q. Hi Coyote.gif|Wile E. Coyote Looney Works 1941-1945 *''The Haunted Mouse (1941)'' *''The Cat's Tale (1941)'' *''Porky's Bear Facts (1941)'' *''The Trial of Mr. Wolf (1941)'' *''Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt (1941)'' *''The Heckling Hare (1941)'' *''Sport Chumpions (1941)'' *''Notes to You (1941)'' *''Rookie Revue (1941)'' *''Rhapsody in Rivets (1941)'' *''The Cagey Canary (1941)'' *''Hop, Skip and a Chump (1942)'' *''Aloha Hooey (1942)'' *''Crazy Cruise (1942)'' *''The Wabbit Who Came to Supper (1942)'' *''Horton Hatches the Egg (1942)'' *''Double Chaser (1942)'' *''Foney Fables (1942)'' *''Fresh Hare (1942)'' *''The Hare-Brained Hypnotist (1942)'' *''My Favorite Duck (1942)'' *''Pigs in a Polka (1943) (uncredited)'' *''The Fifth-Column Mouse (1943) *The Unbearable Bear (1943)'' *''Jack-Wabbit and the Beanstalk (1943)'' *''Hiss and Make Up (1943)'' *''Fin 'N Catty (1943)'' *''Daffy - The Commando (1943)'' *''Little Red Riding Rabbit (1944)'' *''Meatless Flyday (1944)'' *''Tom Turk and Daffy (1944) (with Tedd Pierce (As The Staff)) (As The Staff)'' *''The Weakly Reporter (1944)'' *''Angel Puss (1944) (uncredited)'' Censored Eleven *''Slightly Daffy (1944) (uncredited)'' *''From Hand to Mouse (1944)'' *''Stage Door Cartoon (1944)'' *''Herr Meets Hare (1945)'' *''Hare Trigger (1945)'' *''Ain't That Ducky (1945)'' *''Fresh Airedale (1945)'' *''Peck Up Your Troubles (1945)'' 1946-1959 *''Baseball Bugs (1946) (with Tedd Pierce (uncredited))'' *''Holiday for Shoestrings (1946) (with Tedd Pierce)'' *''Hollywood Daffy (1946)'' *''Of Thee I Sting (1946)'' *''Racketeer Rabbit (1946)'' *''Fair and Worm-er (1946) (with Tedd Pierce)'' *''Rhapsody Rabbit (1946) (with Tedd Pierce)'' *''The Gay Anties (1947) (with Tedd Pierce)'' *''Scent-imental over You (1947) (with Tedd Pierce)'' *''A Hare Grows in Manhattan (1947) (with Tedd Pierce)'' *''Tweetie Pie (1947) (with Tedd Pierce)'' *''Rabbit Transit (1947) (with Tedd Pierce)'' *''Along Came Daffy (1947) (with Tedd Pierce)'' *''Inki at the Circus (1947) (with Tedd Pierce)'' *''A Pest in the House (1947) (with Tedd Pierce)'' *''House Hunting Mice (1948) (with Tedd Pierce)'' *''Little Orphan Airedale (1947) (with Tedd Pierce)'' *''Slick Hare (1947) (with Tedd Pierce)'' *''A Feather in His Hare (1948) (with Tedd Pierce)'' *''What's Brewin', Bruin? (1948) (with Tedd Pierce)'' *''Back Alley Oproar (1948) (with Tedd Pierce)'' *''Rabbit Punch (1948) (with Tedd Pierce)'' *''Buccaneer Bunny (1948) (with Tedd Pierce)'' *''Bugs Bunny Rides Again (1948)'' *''Haredevil Hare (1948)'' *''Daffy Dilly (1948)'' *''Kit for Cat (1948) (with Tedd Pierce)'' *''My Bunny Lies over the Sea (1948)'' *''Scaredy Cat (1948)'' *''Awful Orphan (1949)'' *''Mississippi Hare (1949)'' *''Mouse Wreckers (1949)'' *''The Bee-Deviled Bruin (1949)'' *''Long-Haired Hare (1949)'' *''Often an Orphan (1949)'' *''Fast and Furry-ous (1949)'' *''Frigid Hare (1949)'' *''For Scent-imental Reasons (1949)'' *''Bear Feat (1949)'' *''Rabbit Hood (1949)'' 1951-1955 *''The Scarlet Pumpernickel (1950)'' *''Homeless Hare (1950)'' *''The Hypo-Chondri-Cat (1950)'' *''8 Ball Bunny (1950)'' *''Dog Gone South (1950)'' *''The Ducksters (1950)'' *''Caveman Inki (1950)'' *''Rabbit of Seville (1950)'' *''Two's a Crowd (1950)'' *''Bunny Hugged (1951)'' *''Scent-imental Romeo (1951)'' *''A Hound for Trouble (1951)'' *''Rabbit Fire (1951)'' *''Chow Hound (1951)'' *''The Wearing of the Grin (1951)'' *''Cheese Chasers (1951)'' *''A Bear for Punishment (1951)'' *''Drip-Along Daffy (1951)'' *''Operation: Rabbit (1952)'' *''Feed the Kitty (1952)'' *''Little Beau Pepé (1952)'' *''Water, Water Every Hare (1952)'' *''Beep, Beep (1952)'' *''The Hasty Hare (1952)'' *''Going! Going! Gosh! (1952)'' *''Mouse-Warming (1952)'' *''Rabbit Seasoning (1952)'' *''Terrier-Stricken (1952)'' *''Don't Give Up the Sheep (1953)'' *''Forward March Hare (1953)'' *''Kiss Me Cat (1953)'' *''Duck Amuck (1953)'' *''Much Ado About Nutting (1953)'' *''Wild over You (1953)'' *''Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century (1953)'' *''Bully for Bugs (1953)'' *''Zipping Along (1953)'' *''Lumber Jack-Rabbit (1953)'' *''Duck! Rabbit, Duck! (1953)'' *''Punch Trunk (1953)'' *''Feline Frame-Up (1954)'' *''No Barking (1954)'' *''The Cat's Bah (1954)'' *''Claws for Alarm (1954)'' *''Bewitched Bunny (1954)'' *''Stop! Look! And Hasten! (1954)'' *''From A to Z-Z-Z-Z (1954)'' *''My Little Duckaroo (1954)'' *''Sheep Ahoy (1954)'' *''Baby Buggy Bunny (1954)'' *''Beanstalk Bunny (1955)'' *''Ready.. Set.. Zoom! (1955)'' *''Past Perfumance (1955)'' *''Rabbit Rampage (1955)'' *''Double or Mutton (1955)'' *''Jumpin' Jupiter (1955)'' *''Guided Muscle (1955)'' *''One Froggy Evening (1955)'' 1956-1960 *''90 Day Wondering (1956) (with Chuck Jones)'' *''Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z (1956)'' *''Barbary-Coast Bunny (1956)'' *''Rocket-bye Baby (1956)'' *''Deduce, You Say (1956)'' *''There They Go-Go-Go! (1956)'' *''To Hare Is Human (1956)'' *''Scrambled Aches (1957)'' *''Ali Baba Bunny (1957)'' *''Go Fly a Kit (1957)'' *''Boyhood Daze (1957)'' *''Fox-Terror (1957)'' *''Steal Wool (1957)'' *''What's Opera, Doc? (1957)'' *''Zoom and Bored (1957)'' *''Touché and Go (1957)'' *''Rabbit Romeo (1957)'' *''Robin Hood Daffy (1958)'' *''Hare-Way to the Stars (1958)'' *''Whoa, Be-Gone! (1958)'' *''To Itch His Own (1958)'' *''Weasel While You Work (1958)'' *''Hook, Line and Stinker (1958)'' *''Hip Hip- Hurry! (1958)'' *''Cat Feud (1958)'' *''Baton Bunny (1959)'' *''Hare-abian Nights (1959)'' *''Hot-Rod and Reel! (1959)'' *''Really Scent (1959)'' *''Here Today, Gone Tamale (1959)'' *''Wild About Hurry (1959)'' *''A Witch's Tangled Hare (1959)'' *''Unnatural History (1959)'' *''Fastest with the Mostest (1960) (uncredited)'' *''Horse Hare (1960)'' *''Goldimouse and the Three Cats (1960)'' *''Person to Bunny (1960)'' *''Who Scent You? (1960)'' *''Rabbit's Feat (1960) (uncredited)'' *''Ready, Woolen and Able (1960)'' *''Trip for Tat (1960)'' *''High Note (1960)'' 1960s *''The Mouse on 57th Street (1961)'' *''Adventures of the Road-Runner (1962)'' (with Chuck Jones and John Dunn)) CS *''Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century (1980)'' (with Chuck Jones) Category:Screenwriters Category:Storyboard-Artists Category:Real People Category:Deceased Category:1908 births Category:1981 Deaths